Lithium-ion batteries are currently used in a variety of electronic devices. The use of lithium-ion cells has prevailed over other battery technologies due to the ability of a lithium-ion cell to be recharged without a loss of a significant charge capacity in the short term. In addition, the energy density of a lithium-ion battery enables its use in portable products such as laptop computers and mobile phones. Over time however, lithium batteries are known to suffer from loss of charge capacity. Furthermore, issues of thermal runaway and overheating risks have been widely reported.
Many lithium-ion electrolyte systems have been developed and studied using a wide range of lithium salts including LiBF4, LiClO4, LiNTF2, LiPF6, LiAsF6, and LiSbF6 as well as others. LiPF6 is the preferred electrolyte in lithium-ion cells due to its balance of several properties that no other lithium salt has been found to possess. However, there are concerns over the long term use of lithium cells, given the relatively low abundance of lithium in the Earth's crust and the current high price of lithium relative to other Alkali and Alkaline Earth metals.